Marianne Thamm
Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and me
Marianne Thamm
NB Publishers
ISBN: 9780624075202
Authors on their new books: Marianne Thamm on Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and me
Hi Marianne, when did you starting writing your memoir of sorts? And why?
I started writing it around July 2015. I was prompted by the universe’s lining up a series of events that all pointed to the fact that I at least had to try to write it. The first was my dear friend Tom Lanoye who encouraged me and helped me to find the time; the second was an interview by the incomparable Murray La Vita in Die Burger which resulted in a phone call from Erika Oosthuizen at Tafelberg ... Three in a row. I think it would have been a slap in the face if I had run away from the challenge.
Source: http://www.netwerk24.com/Stemme/Profiele/n-Vrou-en-haar-lessenaar-20150116 (photo credit: Lerato Maduna)
- Read the interview with Murray la Vita here.
Every day you analyse and write about significant events and people in this country. How did you experience writing about yourself and reflecting on your own life?
I found it gave me the time to look back and understand so many things differently. I came out at the other end understanding my parents, regretting that when we are young we don't tell them how much they mean to us and thanking them for what they try to do. I also came out, I think, understanding myself – well, at least up to this mid-point in my life – I may reach a different understanding if I make it past three score and ten.
What was it like growing up in the old South Africa, with parents from different backgrounds, in Pretoria? Did your childhood give you reason to like or relate to Afrikaans speakers at all?
I had no idea that it was "strange" or "different" apart from being made aware that we were immigrants. I loved the language and found it easy to learn and speak, and besides being able to speak it enabled me to hit back at the kids who hounded us in our neighbourhood. Because I can speak and read Afrikaans fluently I can immerse myself fully in the artistry and poetry of Antjie Krog, Breyten Breytenbach, Ronelda Kamfer, to name a few. I can listen to Jitsvinger, Karen Zoid and Francois van Coke, I can read and appreciate numerous other writers and thinkers who express themselves in Afrikaans or Afrikaaps. I can absorb the plays and translations of Saartjie Botha. There are so many artists who work in the language who are just spectacular. I can swear in Afrikaans, which is much more meaningful than doing so in English. For all of this I am grateful.
Has this country changed since your childhood? If so, is it possible to mention positive and negative ways in which changes are visible to you?
Massively. And I am pleased that the country I grew up in no longer exists. The changes are all mostly positive – that the majority of South Africans are free to shape the future. I love the renewed sense of urgency in the politics of young South Africans. I am thrilled at the direction our democracy is taking at present.
I love it that so many have been provided with water, sanitation, electricity, housing, dignity and respect.
However, I despair at the high levels of poverty and desperation. I am horrified by the violence, the anger. I am angered by the apathy and the disconnect by some of us who have more than we need and who believe it is only government's responsibility to "fix things". I love that I am a minority in a country where I can learn to embrace and understand the values, beliefs, traditions and wisdom of fellow South Africans.
What is the meaning of life?
There is no meaning. Just get on with it. Be kind.
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